ESL One Manila Powered By PLDT & Smart Just a Few Days Away!

ESL One Manila, the very first US$250,000 Dota tournament to be hosted in Southeast Asia

Taking place at the SM MOA Arena from April 23-24, ESL One Manila is set to gather eight of the very best teams from across the world. Twelve countries will be represented, including the Philippines’ very own Mineski.Sports5. Competition will feature battles in front of a booming audience of 10,000 local and foreign fans, as millions more are expected to tune in to online and television broadcasts.

The first world champions to be crowned on Philippine soil will raise the ESL One trophy on Sunday evening and take home not only the lion’s share of the US$250,000 prize money, but also secure their spot in the annals of international esports history.

A landmark event for a booming industry

ESL One Manila provides more than just an avenue for the world’s finest professional gamers to showcase their talent in front of the internationally-renowned Philippine Dota fanbase. The event also celebrates the local esports industry’s continued growth, as definitively marked by the support of local business giants and long-time esports supporters PLDT Home Fibr and Smart. PLDT and Smart have teamed up with ESL, the world’s largest esports company, and the Mineski-Events Team, the premier esports organizing body in the Philippines, to bring this landmark event to the region.

Support and recognition from the Philippine national government has started pouring in as well, with ESL One Manila recently being included in the Tourism Promotions Board as one of the month’s bigger tourist attractions.

Bigger battles, better coverage

TV5 are set to broadcast the grand finals of ESL One Manila, as was announced at Mineski.Sport5’s launch campaign, hosted by PLDT Home Fibr and Smart. The local television station’s broadcast of the esports spectacle is said to be in hopes of the local title contenders making their way to the final and lifting the trophy on the evening of April 25th for the whole nation to witness. All games leading up to the grand final will be covered live on AksyonTV in their entirety – a first in PH esports history.

On the 21st of April, captains from the competing teams will gather at the City of Dreams Grand Ballroom to officially open the competition. Representatives from ESL, MET, PLDT, Smart, and TV5 will also be there to talk more about this historical event.